


Five Ghosts, A Minibot, and A Set of Armor

by MinminAmbus



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, I don’t know if I should tag the ghosts names b/c they are not major characters at all, headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:53:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25243444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinminAmbus/pseuds/MinminAmbus
Summary: On Cybertron, ghosts — data ghosts, as they’re commonly known as — are rumored to haunt all sorts of electrical systems. Minimus Ambus doesn’t think much of the tales and stories, until it seems he’s witness to a haunting himself.As bearer of the Magnus Armor, Minimus had to take on the responsibilities of the four loadbearers before him, but what happened to the other four? They all died in the same armor he wears, and Minimus soon learns that they aren’t as gone as everyone believes.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	Five Ghosts, A Minibot, and A Set of Armor

In nearly every civilization in the universe, there are ideas of the dead not being completely gone. The dead-but-not-quite-gone go by many names: ghosts, spirits, and many others in millions of tongues which cannot be understood by a mere human. In many of these cultures, the existence of these things go through various debates, whether scholarly or casual. Regardless of the truth to these matters, the concept of ghosts and hauntings is an intriguing one. One such example is the views of ghosts on the mechanical planet of Cybertron. On Cybertron, ghosts are uniquely perceived by the world’s population, despite all the debate. They’re mainly referred to as  _ data _ ghosts, not just ghosts. They ‘haunt’ technology; haunt being in quotes because of how exactly they haunt. They connect with data processing units and the like, especially ones that they had deep connections with while they lived. If they died in or near that same system, it would be even more likely for them to live on as a ghost. 

Another odd detail about Cybertronian ghosts is the fact that apparitions are not the most common form of them. They can ‘take over’ entire electrical nets, projecting images and text onto screens. Some people even claim to have felt a phantom electromagnetic field from a ghost.  


Additionally, data ghosts can’t haunt or possess a person without getting through their various internal firewalls. Even if they manage to get through undetected, — a very difficult task — the ghost wouldn’t really be able to control its host at all. They would be more like an onlooker. The most they’d be able to do is comment on what the living person sees and does. Anything of that sort is unheard of, purely because of how little is known or believed about data ghosts.

Many bots don’t think they could even exist. They don’t even wish to entertain the thought of the dead being able to continue life, though in a rather strange fashion. Other bots have questions though. How could such a thing exist? Through what processes is something like this created? How can I prove that they’re real? 

It would be extremely difficult to prove anything though. There are not nearly enough first hand accounts to go off of. Additionally, how would one conduct an experiment with data ghosts without it becoming ethically dubious (one would have to  _ die  _ to even have a chance at becoming a ghost) or simply amounting to nothing? How can one be sure that apparitions or power glitches or the illusion of an EM field are real? None of the evidence could even begin to be substantial. Nonetheless, there are some who have theories upon theories about data ghosts. Could it be possible that spark type or frame construction could make someone more or less likely to become a ghost in death? How deeply connected to something would one have to be in order for them to live on after their spark goes out? 

Most mecha don’t even consider these questions. In fact, many don’t make an effort to prove or disprove the existence of data ghosts. They simply don’t have the time to theorize or dissuade anyone’s thoughts.

Minimus was one of these people. He didn’t participate in any discussions about beings from various tales, nor did he feel particularly inclined to do so. He didn’t think much of any of these mythical beings, be it sparkeaters, data ghosts, or anything of the like. 

When the Autobot-Decepticon war started, he became a soldier for the Autobots. He often occupied large sets of loadbearing armor, to appear more intimidating on the field. Then he was given the opportunity to don both the armor and identity of Ultra Magnus. He took it, gladly. Minimus became an agent of the law, an enforcer of Tyrest’s Accord. He became Ultra Magnus, and was determined to live up to the mech’s name.

It was within his first few cycles of controlling the Magnus Armor that Minimus noticed it was much different than other loadbearing armors he had used in the past. It functioned much more like a living body. It wasn’t just an set of armor to be worn in battle. It was a suit made to mimic the entire life of a mech, which was fitting when considering its function: to turn the wearer into Ultra Magnus himself. 

One day, while in the armor, Minimus had time to investigate the armor’s subsystems and the folders and coding within them. It was a routine thing for Minimus to check new armor, to ensure that everything was organized and functioning properly. Just because this one was more like an actual body didn’t mean he would change up his routine. What kind of mech would go and do  _ that _ ?

He sat down in his habsuite, beginning his investigation. He organized the internal folders and files to what was fit with standards. Towards the end of this, Minimus found a set of subsystems hidden under several sets of coding. He noted that Tyrest had never mentioned in his instructions of the armor. Minimus would know if he’d said anything about this — he took very thorough notes on this. Could this have been something he missed? Minimus knew he paid close attention the whole explanation, and Tyrest wouldn’t gloss over an entire subsection of functions. Additionally, the label tagged onto it was distorted to the point where it could barely be read at all. Whenever Minimus thought he could read a glyph, it seemed to glitch out of vision. The whole situation struck him as particularly odd, so Minimus chose to investigate that particular subsystem.

He immediately regretted his decision. It almost felt like he opened up a virus of some sort. Minimus — or more accurately now, Magnus — was met with a splitting headache, the kind that made your helm feel like it was buzzing with static. His helm felt so full that it was like there was barely any room for him to think. Were his servos shaking? Yes? Maybe? They probably were. Was the rest of his plating shivering and rattling with the force of… whatever this was? He couldn’t tell at the moment. His optics were shut tight as his senses were assaulted. Minimus  _ could _ exit the armor and this terrible feeling would  _ probably _ go away, but he wasn’t even in the correct place of mind to even think of that. His vents felt clogged and halted even though they were fine before.

He cracked open his optics, looking around his habsuite through a glitchy haze and immediately froze up. His plating still rattled (an involuntary reaction, he couldn’t do much to stop it), but otherwise, Magnus was completely still, holding both his servos on his own helm. 

There were  _ people  _ in front of him. Four people. His garbled sensors indicated that there was no one else in the room, but he  _ saw  _ that they were there — right there! His optics were telling him one thing and his proximity sensors were saying another, Primus. Magnus had never had any virus that could cause hallucinations, especially considering who these people were. He _knew_ them. They weren’t just any normal people either.  _ They were the four previous bearers of the Magnus Armor. _

One of them — Datum— started to  _ walk towards him. _ Magnus would have backpedaled to get away from whatever he was seeing, but he really couldn’t do much right now besides stay still, petrified in his fear. He looked at all of them through hazy optics, switching from face to face to face because this couldn’t be real,  _ this couldn’t be real.  _ Oh, but it seemed so real. They all were stepping towards him now. There was Suture, the little hover car; Blockus, who died only a few miles from the Crucible; Ramp, who died under a cascade of bombs; and Datum, a brave statistician, whose courage couldn’t save him. They were all there, right in front of him. Oh Primus, they were well within reaching distance.

The sheer panic helped Magnus see through the buzzing haze wrapped around his processor. In a rush, he shut down the opened subsystem, in the hopes that this would stop. 

The apparitions glitched and fizzled out of Magnus’ vision, the sight of them just  _ staring _ at him burned in his memory banks. Everything else felt like it simply stopped. Magnus was dropped out of the sensations so quickly, he felt as if he could purge from the force of it. The only sound in the room were his internal fans, struggling to cool and calm his frightened frame. It was similar to the experience of taking a warm shower and then being thrust into the cold snow, but intensified to the point where it was sickening. He didn’t know what to make of it; the strange subsystem and the sensations it caused and the visions of the previous loadbearers and — and — Magnus had so many questions.

There was only one thing he really knew for certain. He did not want to open that subsystem ever again… but there are things in this universe that, once opened, can never truly be closed or beaten back. 

_ … _

_ A subtle ping, too quiet for Magnus to hear, sounded out from that same mysterious subsystem. _


End file.
